1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a skin observing apparatus including an image pick-up head having a view hole formed at the top end thereof, and an image pick-up device for picking-up images of a skin through the view hole in a state of bringing the top end thereof into contact with the skin, and an illumination system for irradiating an illumination light to the skin, the image pick-up device and the illumination system being provided inside the image pick-up head.
2. Statement of the Related Art
Recently, various measuring instruments and diagnostic instruments have been introduced for sales promotion of cosmetics not only in the sales floors of department stores but also in cosmetics stores in shopping areas.
Among them, illumination-incorporated observing apparatus have become important tools for sales promotion since the apparatus can magnify skins at a high magnification ratio, display textures formed of fine twilled ridges running lengthwise, crosswise and slantwise, blotches caused by subcutaneous pigmentation, etc. on a monitor and enable explanation for the situations of skins to customers while presenting video images.
By the way, in a case of observing the texture by an illumination-incorporated type image pick-up apparatus, illumination light irradiated to the surface of a skin and reflected directly therefrom is mainly picked-up.
Further, in a case of observing blotches, a polarization plate located on the side of a light source and another polarization plate located on the side of the image pick-up device are situated in a cross nicol state, and an indirect reflection light from the inside of the skin is mainly picked-up while cutting the direct reflection light from the skin surface, so that blotches can be picked-up distinctly.
Accordingly, the texture as the surface condition of the skin and blotches caused by subcutaneous pigment can be observed respectively by selectively switching an illumination system providing direct reflection and an illumination system providing indirect reflection, or by changing the direction of the polarization plates disposed in one identical illumination system (refer to Japanese Patent No. 3007978).
However, in a case of observing blotches, at least two polarization plates have to be used and one of them has to be situated always on the axis of the image pick-up light of the image pick-up device.
Accordingly, even in a case of not requiring the use of the polarization plate, a light incident to the image pick-up device transmits through at least one polarization plate to result in a problem that the amount of the illumination light can not be utilized effectively.
While such a problem can be avoided by advancing or retracting the polarization plate to and from the axis of the image pick-up light, this needs a complicate advancing/retracting mechanism for the polarization plate, to leave a problem that the size of the apparatus is inevitably enlarged.
Further, in a case of observing the abraded state of keratin as an index of skin roughness, a disposable keratin sampling seal coated with an adhesive has been adhered on the surface of a skin to sample keratin and the amount of the sampled keratin has been judged by optical measurement.
However, the amount of sampling differs depending on the way of adhering the keratin sampling seal, strength of adhesion, releasing speed and way of releasing conducted by cosmetic make-up stuffs.
Further, in a case of confirming the effect of cosmetics, the effect of the cosmetics can not be confirmed by sampling keratin after the use of the cosmetics from an area identical with the area from which the keratin was sampled before use. Accordingly, it is necessary to sample keratin from another area. However, since it can not be assured whether the two areas suffer from identical extent of skin roughness, comparison of data between them has no meaning to leave a problem that the effect can not be confirmed.
Further, since the keratin sampling seal is a consumption article, if it happens to be out of stock, measurement is not possible.